This invention relates to crimping machines and more particularly to an improvement in such machines wherein a split die ring is used to transmit crimping forces from the hydraulic actuator to a circular array of die segments.
This invention is an improvement on the type of crimping machine disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,309,892 and which is incorporated herein by reference. In such prior art machine, hose assemblies are formed by forcing a circular array of die segments into a tapered bowl by means of a hydraulic actuator. A pusher is affixed to the operating end of the actuator and is designed with an opening therein to allow placement of bent hose ends in the crimping machine. A pusher plate is positioned over the die segments and is contacted by the pusher to transmit force to all of the die segments simultaneously, while also being used as a device to limit the stroke of the actuator and thus the final crimp diameter.
In machines of this type the hose with hose coupling frictionally engaged thereon is inserted and removed from the bottom, through the die separator and the tapered bowl. Crimping die segments and the pusher plate may already be in position in the bowl or may be placed therein about the inserted hose coupling and the actuator activated to complete the crimp. In larger size machines it becomes very unwieldly for the operator to support the hose and coupling, to set the die segments and pusher plate and to activate the machine. In some instances, with space at a premium in the crimping zone, it would be impractical to size the machine to allow sufficient space to place the die segments and to snake the pusher plate over the hose end without interfering with the pusher or other components of the machine.
Prior art machines have accommodated this problem in various ways. In one group of machines the pusher is arranged in sections which may be swung away from the crimping zone to clear the area for loading and unloading. This is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,851,514. In another form of device an elongated bed plate is utilized so that the crimping bowl may be shifted between operating and loading positions. This is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,750,452. In the type of machine described in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,309,892, noted above, both the hydraulic actuator and the pusher are rocked out of the working zone. These prior art solutions, however, introduce a degree of instability which is undesirable in equipment exposed to the extremely high forces encountered in large size crimping machines.